The Construction Playbook, National Infrastructure Strategy and TIP: Roadmap to 2030 have set the priority areas for the built environment – but productivity remains a key challenge. Dan Rossiter of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists says the UK BIM Framework can support organisations in boosting output, cutting costs and improving sustainability
Currently, the strategic direction of the built environment sector is governed by “the Big Three”: The Construction Playbook, National Infrastructure Strategy and TIP: Roadmap to 2030.
These policy documents outline proposed prioritisation areas. For example, TIP: Roadmap to 2030 identifies the need to:
- Deliver new infrastructure.
- Undertake regeneration.
- Address the need for housing.
- Retrofit to support net zero.
- Optimise our built environment.
While few can disagree with these prioritisation areas, there are overarching barriers to their realisation.
A key barrier being that productivity has remained stagnant within the sector for the past 50 years, as shown by research from the Office for National Statistics.
While overly simplistic, productivity can be calculated by measuring service against labour.
- Historically, the built environment has performed poorly delivering its services. Research from McKinsey found that 98% of projects incur costs overruns or delays. In addition, research from the Get It Right Initiative found several root cause of errors relating to: communication of design information; ineffective communication; and information overload.
- Discussed at length over the past decade, the built environment workforce is on the decline. A report from the Construction Industry Training Board cited the UK workforce had shrunk by circa 10,000 workers with around a third of organisations struggling to find suitably skilled staff.
Given this information, productivity improvements could be achieved through either improving services or reducing the amount of labour required.
UK BIM Framework
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the use of shared digital representation of an asset to facilitate design, construction and operation processes to form a reliable basis for decisions.
The UK approach to information management using BIM is captured within the UK BIM Framework, consisting of standards, guidance, and resources.
The UK BIM Framework currently includes the following standards:
- BS EN ISO 19650-1 (concepts and principles).
- BS EN ISO 19650-2 (delivery phase).
- BS EN ISO 19650-3 (operational phase).
- BS EN ISO 19650-4 (information exchange).
- BS EN ISO 19650-5 (security-minded approach).
- PAS 1192-6 (health and safety).
- BS 8536 (operability).
These standards are then supported by guidance providing additional explanations, insights and examples, as well as resources such as videos, infographics and templates.
Benefits
In 2018, PwC published a report which established a methodology for measuring the potential benefits of applying BIM. In doing so, they identified several benefits. These included:
- Reduction in labour: In the form of time and material savings.
- Improvement in services: In the form of risk reduction, better utilisation and better built quality.
Benefits were further demonstrated within a KPMG-Atkins report, which estimated that every £1 invested into information management could potentially secure £6 in productivity gains, as well as a £7.40 in direct cost savings.
Boosting productivity and cutting costs
The UK BIM Framework supports “the Big Three” by providing a framework of standards, guidance and tools that support both productivity improvements as well as direct cost savings.
These benefits after further compounded by wider benefits, which include supporting the capture of information to measure and realising net zero targets, as well as its support of building safety, in particular the realisation of the golden thread information.
As such, whether you organisation is looking to improve productivity, reduce costs, improve its sustainability or to meet new regulatory requirements, the UK BIM Framework can provide support.
Visit www.UKBIMFramework.org if you are interested in becoming more familiar with the UK’s approach to information management using BIM.
